Apparatus for connecting pairs of terminals with a twisted pair of insulated wires

ABSTRACT

IN THE WIRING OF TERMINALS LOCATED ON A TERMINAL BOARD, FIRST AND SECOND TERMINAL GROUPS ARE ELECTRICALLY INTERCONNECTED BY ADVANCING STRIPPED, LEADING ENDS OF A SET OF INSULATED WIRES FROM A WIRE SUPPLY TO A POSITION ADJACENT ONE TERMINAL GROUP, TWISTING THE WIRES TOGETHER DURING THE ADVANCEMENT, SEVERING THE WIRES AT A POINT ADJACENT TO THE OTHER TERMINAL GROUP, STRIPPING INSULATION FROM THE TRAILING ENDS OF THE SEVERED WIRES, AND CONNECTING THE LEADING AND TRAILING ENDS OF THE WIRES TO TERMINALS LOCATED IN THE FIRST AND SECOND GROUPS, RESPECTIVELY.

Jan. 12, 1971 w. E. BROWN. JR. ET AL 3,553,813

APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING PAIRS OF TERMINALS 'WITH A TWISTED PAIR OF INSULATED WIRES 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June a, 1968 NVE'N 'Q E; LLLEZEE'ULUN 1:. C. DEV/5' Jan; 12, 1971 w. E. BROWN. JR., ET AL 3,553,813

APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING PAIRS OF TERMINALS WITH A v TWISTED PAIR OF INSULATED WIRES Filed June 6, 1968 8 Sheets-Sheet a Jan. 12, 1971 w, 5, BROWN JR ETAL 3,553,813

APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING PAIRS 0F TERMINALS WITH A I TWISTED PAIR OF INSULATEDKWIRES Filed June 6, 1968 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 w. E. BROWN. "JR" ET L 3,553,813

Jan. 12, 1971 APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING PAIRS OF TERMINALS WITH A TWLSTED PAIR ,OF INSULJATED WIRES Filed June 6, 1968 1 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 FTTIII v Jan. 12, 1971 w. E. BROWN. JR.. ETAL 3,553,813

APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING PAIRS OF TERMINALS WITH A 1 TWISTED PAIR OF INSULATED WIRES Filed June 6, 1968 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 3,553,813 APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING PAIRS OF TERMINALS WITH .A

Jan. 12, 1971 w, 5, BROWN JR, ETAL TWISTED PAIR OF INSULATED WIRES Filed June 6, 1968 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Jan. 12, 1971 w. 5 W ]R ETAL 3,553,813

APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING PAIRS OF TERMINALS WITH A TWlSTED PAIR OF INSULATED WIRES 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed June 6, 1968 Jan. 12, 1971 w. E. BROWN. 1a.. ETAL 3 ,553,813

APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING PAIRS OF TERMINALS WITH A TWLSTED PAIR OF INSULATED WIRES Filed June 6, 1968 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 United States Patent O 3,553,813 APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING PAIRS OF TERMINALS WITH A TWISTED PAIR OF INSULATED WIRES Wilmot E. Brown, Jr., Graham, and Clarence C. Davis,

Leesburg, N.C., assignors to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, Murray Hill, N.J., a corporation of New York, and Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 6, 1968, Ser. No. 735,044 Int. Cl. H05k 13/04 US. Cl. 29-203 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the wiring of terminals located on a terminal board, first and second terminal groups are electrically interconnected by advancing stripped, leading ends of a set of insulated wires from a Wire supply to a position adjacent one terminal group, twisting the wires together during the advancement, severing the wires at a point adjacent to the other terminal group, stripping insulation from the trailing ends of the severed wires, and connecting the leading and trailing ends of the wires to terminals located in the first and second groups, respectively.

GOVERNMENT CONTRACT The invention herein claimed was made in the course of, or under contract with the United States Army.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the wiring of terminal boards, it may be desirable to electrically interconnect groups of terminals, located in different positions on a terminal board, by a twisted set of wires. The terminals may be arranged in pairs, for example, which are spaced apart over the terminal board. In this case, only two wires are needed to interconnect the terminals.

There are several reasons why it may be desirable to connect pairs of terminals on a terminal board by a twisted pair of wires. First, in the case of a terminal board having numerous terminals electrically connected by individual wires, it is extremely difiicult to ascertain whether the terminals have been properly connected together. In this case, it is necessary to check the connections of each wire separately, to verify that the proper connections have been made. This checking process is very time consuming. By connecting the terminals with twisted pairs of wires, it is possible to verify two connections simultaneously 'by following only one pair of twisted wires over the terminal board. In this manner, the time required for verification may be substantially reduced. Second, the time necessary for wiring of the terminal board may be substantially decreased if, instead of making connections one at a time, two or more termi nals are connected in the same wire-connecting operation. Third, the connecting of terminal pairs by a twisted pair of wires may have advantageous electromagnetic results when current is passed through the wires. For example, if current flows through the twisted pair of wires in opposite directions, the magnetic fields generated by virtue of the current flow through the wires are also in opposite directions and tend to cancel one another. Thus, if equal and opposite currents exist in the-wires, then no substantial magnetic field is produced.

In the prior art, the connecting of terminal pairs by a twisted pair of insulated wires has been accomplished by manual operations. The wires are first cut to desired lengths. Then insulation is stripped from the leading and trailing ends of the wires. Next, the wires are twisted 3,553,813 Patented Jan. 12, 1971 together and then the stripped leading and trailing ends are connected to the pairs of terminals by various techniques, such as wire-wrapping or soldering. The primary disadvantage of this manner of performing the connecting operation is the fact that such manual operations are extremely time consuming. Hence, it would be desirable to employ an automatic machine for accomplishing the desired result, i.e., connecting pairs of terminals by a twisted pair of wires.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention concerns an apparatus for connecting groups of terminals by :a twisted set of Wires. The terminals may be fixed to a terminal board and arranged thereon in groups consisting of two or more terminals. This invention contemplates electrically interconnecting selected groups of terminals with a twisted set of wires by advancing the leading ends of a set of wires to a position over a first group of terminals, twisting the wires together during the advancement thereof, severing the wires at a point over the second group of terminals, and connecting the leading and trailing ends of the severed Wires to the first and second groups of terminals, respectively, to connect one terminal of the first group with one terminal of the second group and the other terminal of the first group with the remaining terminal of the second group.

The apparatus of the present invention utilizes two wire connecting tools which are mounted for movement relative to each other, each tool having a pair of wire wrapping bits for receiving Wires and wrapping the ends of the wires about terminals. The tools are initially positioned adjacent to each other, and the terminal board may be positioned beneath the tools such that one pair of terminals is located directly below the wire connecting tools. A wire feeding device is positioned between the wire connecting tools and a wire supply having a pair of wires which can be withdrawn therefrom. The wire feeding device operates to advance the wires simultaneously from the wire supply and to feed the leading ends thereof to the wrapping bits of one of the wire connecting tools. After the wire connecting tool has received the leading ends of the wires, the tool is advanced from its position over one pair of terminals to a position over the other pair of terminals. Thus, the pair of wires is withdrawn from the wire supply and the leading ends thereof are positioned over the first pair of terminals.

The apparatus is also provided with means for rotating both the wire feeding device and the wire supply to impart a twist to the wires during the advancement thereof by the connecting tool. The wire feeding device and the wire supply are rotated only during advancement of the wires. The apparatus is also provided with facilities for severing the advanced wires at a point adjacent to the second set of terminals. After the wires are severed, the trailing ends of the severed wires are received by the other wire connecting tool. At this point, both wire connecting tools may be operated to wrap the leading ends of the severed wires about the first pair of terminals and the trailing ends of those wires about the second pair of terminals. In this manner, the apparatus of the present invention operates to connect the first and second pairs of terminals by a twisted pair of wires.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The purposes and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a wire connecting apparatus for electrically interconnecting terminals fixed to a terminal board by a twisted pair of wires, the apparatus having a pair of wire wrapping heads which operate to wrap leading and trailing ends of a twisted pair of wires to the terminals;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of a wire feeding apparatus, forming part of the present invention, which is used to feed a pair of wires simultaneously from a wire supply to the wire connecting tools of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, of the wire feed device;

FIG. 4 is an exploded isometric view of a portion of the wire feed device of FIG. 2, illustrating a wire clamping mechanism which is used to draw a pair of wires from the wire supply;

FIG. 5 is an exploded isometric view of another portion of the wire feeding device of FIG. 2, illustrating a second wire clamping mechanism which operates in conjunction with a stripping and cutting mechanism during the severing of the wires and the stripping of insulation therefrom;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the portions of the wire feeding device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIGS. 7 and 8 provide a detailed plan view, partially cutaway, of the wire feed device of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the portions of the wire feeding device shown in FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the wire clamping mechanism shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the cutting and stripping mechanism of FIG. 5, illustrating an air motor which is used to impart rotary motion of the wire feed device and the 'wire supply;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 11 which illustrates a cam and pawl arrangement for allowing the wire feed device and the wire supply to be rotated by exactly 180; and

FIGS. 13-16 illustrate the operation of wire wrapping bits of the wrapping heads shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1, a wire wrapping apparatus which operates in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown. The apparatus includes a base 21 over which a pair of wire wrapping heads and is supported. The base 21 also serves as a work support for a terminal board 22 having a first pair of terminals 23 and 23 and a second pair of terminals 24 and 24 attached thereto. The wire wrapping head 25 is provided with a pair of wire wrapping bits 26 and 27 for receiving the leading ends of a pair of wires and wrapping the leading ends around the pair of terminals 23 and 23. Similarly, the wire wrapping head 30 is provided with a pair of wire wrapping bits 28 and 29 for receiving the trailing ends of the wires and wrapping the trailing ends around the other pair of terminals 24 and 24'.

The wire wrapping head 25 is secured to a bracket 31 which is slidably mounted by a pair of vertical guide rods 32-32 to a platform 34. The platform 34 is mounted for sliding movement along a pair of horizontal bars 36-36 which are mounted on a carriage 38. The carriage 38 is, in turn, mounted for sliding movement along a pair of horizontal guide rods 39-39 by a set of brackets 43-43.

An air cylinder 41, having a piston rod 42 extending from one end thereof, is attached to the base 21. The piston rod 42 is connected to one of the brackets 43 mounted on the carriage 38. The air cylinder 41 may be operated to impart horizontal movement to the carriage 38 along the guide rods 39-39 to move the wire wrapping head 25 over the terminal board 22 in a first or X direction. A second air cylinder 44 having a piston rod 45 extending therefrom is secured to the carriage 38. The piston rod 45 is attached to a bracket 46 mounted on the movable platform 34. The air cylinder 44 may be CJI operated to move the platform 34 along the horizontal bars 36-36 in order to move the wire wrapping head 25 in a second or Y direction over the terminal board 22. A third air cylinder 47 having a piston rod 48 is secured to the platform 34. The piston rod 48 is attached to an arm 49 mounted on the movable bracket 31. The air cylinder 47 may be operated to move the bracket 31 along the vertical guide rods 32-32. When the wire wrapping head 25 is positioned over a pair of terminals to which a pair of wires is to be wrapped, the air cylinder 47 is operated to lower the wire wrapping head 25 to a wire wrap position where the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27 of the head 25 are located over the terminals.

The wire wrapping head 30 is secured to a movable bracket 51 which is mounted for sliding movement along a pair of vertical guide rods 52-52 attached to a movable platform 53. The movable platform 53 is mounted for sliding movement on a pair of horizontal bars 54-54, one of which is shown in FIG. 1. The bars 54-54 are secured to a carriage 55 which is mounted for sliding movement on the guide rods 39-39 by brackets 56-56. An air cylinder 57 attached to the base 21 is utilized to impart horizontal movement to the carriage 55 along the guide rods 39-39 to move wrapping head 30 in the X direction over the terminal board 22. Air cylinder 58, mounted on the carriage 55, is used to slide the platform 53 along the horizontal bars 54-54 to move the wrapping head 30 in the Y direction over the terminal board 22. In addition, an air cylinder 59 mounted on the platform 53 is provided for imparting vertical movement to the bracket 51 and wrapping head 30. When the wrapping bits 28 and 29 of the wire wrapping head 30 have received trailing ends of a pair of twisted wires to be wrapped to the terminals 24 and 24', the air cylinder 59 is operated to move the wire wrapping head 30 downward into a wire wrapping position where the wrapping bits 28 and 29 are located over the terminals 24 and 24.

It is evident from FIG. 1 that the wire wrapping head 25 may be moved relative to the wire wrapping head 30 by operating the air cylinders 41 and 44. Similarly, movement may be imparted to the wire wrapping head 30 by operation of the air cylinders 57 and 58. If the wire wrapping head 25 is initially located adjacent to the wire wrapping head 30, then the leading ends of a pair of wires, which are received by the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27 of the head 25, may be advanced from an initial position adjacent to wrapping bits 28 and 29 to a position over the first pair of terminals 23 and 23' by appropriate operation of the air cylinders 41 and 44. The wires which are advanced by the head 25 may be routed in any desired path over the terminal board by selective operation of the air cylinders 41 and 44.

WIRE FEEDING DEVICE Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, a wire feeding device 60 is shown for advancing a pair of wires from wire supply spools 61 and 62 to the wire wrapping heads 25 and 30. The wire feeding device 60 is mounted on a guide plate 70 which is secured to the movable platform 53. The wire supply spools 61 and 62 are rotatably mounted on a U-shaped member 63. The U-shaped member 63 has a hollow cylindrical sleeve 64 (FIGS. 2 and 7) fitted into an opening therein which is received in a cylindrical opening formed in a hinged support 65. The support 65 is mounted in hinge-like fashion to a bracket 66 secured to the guide plate 70. The cylindrical sleeve 64 permits the U-shaped member 63 to rotate about the axis of the cylindrical sleeve 64 relative to the bracket 66. The sleeve 64 is connected to a flexible tube 67 which is secured to a second cylindrical sleeve 68. The sleeve 68 is mounted for rotation about its axis by journal bearings 69 and 71 which are formed in the bracket 66. Rotary motion which is applied to the sleeve 68 is transmitted to the U-shaped member 63 and the supply spools 61 and 62 by the flexible tube 67 and the hollow cylindrical sleeve 64.

WIRE CLAMPING MECHANISMS As shown in FIG. 4, the wire feeding device includes a wire clamping mechanism 80 which is mounted for movement relative to the supply spools 61 and 62. The function of the wire clamping mechanism 80 is to clamp the wires and to advance the leading ends thereof to the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27 of the head 25. The wire clamping mechanism 80 includes a cylindrical guide member 81 which has a pair of parallel passageways 82 and 83 extending axially therethrough. The guide member 81 is provided with a pair of keys 84-84 (one of which is shown in FIG. 4) formed on opposite sides of the guide member 81. The cylindrical guide member 81 is received within the cylindrical sleeve 68 and the keys 84-84 are received by a pair of keyways 86-86 which are formed at the inner sides of the sleeve 68. In this manner, the guide member 81 is coupled to the sleeve 68 such that rotary motion of the guide member 81 about its axis is transmitted to the cylindrical sleeve 68.

The cylindrical guide member 81 has openings 87 and 88 formed in opposite sides thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, the opening 87 communicates with the passageway 82 such that a portion 82 of the passageway 82 is exposed. Similarly, the opening 88 communicates with the passageway 83 to expose a portion of that passageway 83. Clamping members 89 and 91, in the form of cylindrical segments, are located within the openings 87 and 88,

respectively. The clamping members 89 and 91 are normally biased outward from the cylindrical guide member 81 by a set of springs 92-92 received in a set of bores 93-93 which extend transversely through the guide member 81 from the opening 87 to the opening 88. The springs 92-92 normally bias the clamping members 89 and 91 outward from the cylindrical guide member 81 to permit free movement of the Wires extending from the supply spools 61 and 62 through the passageways 82 and 83. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the clamping members 89 and 91 may be provided with ridges 89' and 91', respectively, formed along the flat surfaces thereof for engaging and clamping the wires in the exposed portions of the passageways 82 and 83.

The wire clamping mechanism 80 also includes a housing consisting of housing sections 94 and 96. Each of the housing sections 94 and 96 is provided with cylindrical bearing surfaces 9797 for receiving the cylindrical guide member 81 and for mounting the guide member 81 for rotation therein. The housing sections 94 and 96 fit together to form a hollow rectangular enclosure for the guide member 81 and the clamping members 89 and 91. The housing sections 94 and 96 have dovetail grooves 95-95 formed along the upper edges thereof. When the sections 94 and 96 are fitted together, the assembled housing is received in dovetail fashion in a guide path or groove formed in the plate 70. By means of the grooves 95-95 in the housing sections 94 and 96, the wire clamping mechanism 80 is mounted for sliding movement toward and away from the supply spools 61 and 62.

A pair of ring-like actuator members 98 and 99 are provided for engaging and moving the clamping members 89 and 91 inward toward the guide member 81 and the exposed portions of the passageways 82 and 83. The actuator members 98 and 99 are fitted over the cylindrical guide member 81 and the clamping members 89 and 91 (FIG. 7). The actuator member 98 is provided with a pair of pivot pins 98'98' which are received in openings formed in the inner surfaces of the housing sections 94 and 96. Similarly, the actuator member 99 is provided with a pair of pivot pins 99-99 which are received in another set of openings in the housing sections 94 and 96. Thus, the actuator members 98 and 99 are mounted for pivotal movement about a transverse axis of the 6 cylindrical guide member 81 by means of the pivot pins 98-98 and '99-99, respectively.

The actuator member 98 is provided with a projection 101 (FIG. 4) extending toward the actuator member 99. Similarly, the actuator member 99 is provided with a complementary projection 102 which extends toward the actuator member 98. As shown in FIG. 7, the extended edges of the projections 101 and 102 are beveled to form a wedge-shaped space therebetween. An air cylinder 103 is supported by the housing section 96 and has a piston rod 104 extending through the housing section 96 toward the projections 101 and 102. As shown in FIG. 7, the end of the piston rod 104 is also beveled to form a wedgelike point which can be moved between the projections 101 and 102. When it is desired to clamp the wires Within the passageways 82 and 83, the air cylinder 193 is operated to drive the wedge-like point of the piston rod 104 into engagement with the beveled surfaces of the projections 101 and 102 to move the projections 101 and 102 apart resulting in pivoting movement of the actuator members 98 and 99 about the pivot pins 98'-98 and 99-99', respectively. The inner surfaces of the ring-like actuator members 98 and 99 move into engagement with the clamping members 89 and 91 to move the clamping members 89 and 91 inward toward the guide member 81 to engage the wires located within the passageways 82 and 83 and clamp the wires against the guide member 81.

An air cylinder 106 (FIGS. 4 and 7), having a piston rod 107 extending therefrom, is attached to the plate 70. The piston rod 107 is connected to a bracket 108 mounted on the housing section 96. By operating the air cylinder 106, the wire clamping mechanism may be moved relative to the wire supply spools 61 and 62.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a second wire clamping mechanism is shown. The construction of this wire clamping mechanism 90 is identical to the construction of the wire clamping mechanism 80 described above. The Wire clamping mechanism 90 includes a cylindrical guide member 111 having a pair of parallel passageways 112 and 113 extending axially therethrough. The cylindrical guide member 111 is provided with openings 117 and 118 formed in opposite sides thereof, each of which commuicates with one of the passageways 112 and 113 to expose central portions thereof. Clamping members 119 and 121, in the form of cylindrical segments, are located in the openings 117 and 118, respectively. The clamping members 119 and 121 may be provided with ridges 119' and 121', respectively, formed along the fiat surface thereof for engaging and clamping the wires in the exposed portions of the passageways 112 and 113. A set of springs 122-122, which are fitted into a set of bores 123-123 extending transversely through the cylindrical guide member 111 from the opening 117 to the opening 118, normally biasing the clamping members 119 and 121 outward from the cylindrical guide member 111 to permit free movement of the wires through the passageways 112 and 113.

A housing is provided for the wire clamping device 90 consisting of housing sections 124 and 126 which fit together to form a hollow rectangular enclosure in which the cylindrical guide member 111 is mounted for rotation about its axis on bearing surfaces -105. The housing sections 124 and 126 are also provided with dovetail grooves -125 formed along the uppor edges thereof. The assembled housing, by virtue of the grooves 125-125, is mounted for sliding movement along the groove or guide path formed in the plate 70.

The wire clamping mechanism 90 also includes ringlike actuator members 128 and 129 which are mounted for pivotal movement about a transverse axis of the cylindrical guide member 111. The ring-like actuator members 128 and 129 have projections 131 and 132 formed thereon which are operated by a piston rod (not shown) extending from an air cylinder 133 supported by the housing section 126. The operation of the actuator members 128 and 129 to move the clamping members 119 and 121 inward into engagement with the wires located within the passageways 112 and 113 to clamp the wires against the cylindrical guide member 111 is identical to the operation of the corresponding elements of the wire clamping mechanism 80.

An air cylinder 136 (FIGS. and 7) having a piston rod 137 extending therefrom is attached to the guide plate 70. The piston rod 137 is connected to a bracket 138 mounted on the housing section 126. The air cylinder 136 may be operated to impart movement to the wire clamping mechanism 90 along the guide plate relative to the wire clamping mechanism 80.

A telescoping mechanism 110 (FIGS. 4 and 5) is located between the wire clamping mechanisms and 90. The telescoping mechanism includes a set of three cylindrical sleeves 137, 138 and 139 which fit over one another in telescoping fashion. The sleeve 137 has a circular end plate 141 mounted on the one end thereof. The end plate 141 is fastened to a similar end plate 142 which is mounted on the end of the cylindrical guide member 111. Both end plates 141 and 142 have a pair of openings formed therethrough for receiving the wires extending from the supply spools 61 and 62. A tube 143 is mounted to the end plate 141 and extends into the interior of the sleeve 137. A coil spring 144 is mounted over the tube 143 and also extends into the interior of the sleeve 138 where it engages a cap 146. The cap 146 supports a pair of guide tubes 147 and 148 which are received within the tube 143. The sleeve 139 (FIG. 4)

has an end plate 149 which supports a second pair of guide tubes 151 and 152. The outside diameters of the guide tubes 151 and 152 are smaller than the inside diameters of the tubes 147 and 148 so that the tubes 151 and 152 may be received within the tubes 147 and 148 for sliding movement therein. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the wires from supply spools 61 and 62 extend through the passageways 82 and 83 of the guide cylinder 81 and are received in the second set of guide tubes 151 and 152, the first set of guide tubes 147 and 148 and the tube 143, and extend into the passageways 112 and 113 formed in the guide member 111.

The sleeve 137 (FIG. 5) has a pair of parallel keyways 153-153 formed in its outer surface on opposite sides of the sleeve 137. The keyways 153-153 receive pins 154-154 which are mounted on the inside surface of the sleeve 138. The keyways 153-153 and the pins 154-154 allow the sleeve 138 to slide over the sleeve 137 without rotating relative to that sleeve 137. Similarly, a pair of keyways 156-156 is formed in the outer surface of the sleeve 138 on opposite sides thereof. The keyways 156156 receive pins 157-157 mounted on the inside surface of the sleeve 139. The keyways 156-156 and the pins 157-157 have a similar effect on the relative movement on the sleeves 138 and 139, i.e., the sleeve 139 is permitted to slide over the sleeve 138 without rotating relative thereto. Thus, the telescoping arrangement permits the wires to be advanced from the clamp ing mechanism 80 to the clamping mechanism 90 while preserving the alignment of the wires in the parallel passageways 82 and 83 of the guide member 81.

CUTTING AND STRIPPING MECHANISM The wire feeding device 60 is also provided with a cutting and stripping mechanism 160 (FIG. 5) to which the wires are advanced after passing through the wire clamping mechanism 90. The cutting and stripping mechanism 160 includes a frame 161 which supports guide cylinders 162 and 163 at opposite ends thereof. The guide cylinders 162 and 163 each have a pair of parallel passageways extending axially therethrough for receiving the wires to be advanced to the wire wrapping heads 25 and 30. The frame 161 is provided with openings corresponding to the passageways in guide cylinders 162 and 163 to permit passage of the wires therethrough.

A pair of cutters 164 and 166, mounted on opposite sides of the frame 161, are used to cut the wires and strip insulation therefrom. Cutting blades 167 and 168 are mounted on opposite ends of the cutter 164 and each of the blades has a pair of notches for receiving the wires advanced through the cutting and stripping mechanism 160. Similarly, the cutter 166 supports a pair of cutting blades 169 and 171 at opposite ends thereof. Each of the cutting blades 169 and 171 also is provided with a pair of notches for receiving the wires. The cutting blades 167 and 169 act in cooperation to cut the insulation of each wire at the first point and the cutting blades 168 and 171 cooperate to cut the insulation of each Wire at a second point. The cutting member 166 is provided with a third cutting blade 172 which functions to completely sever the wires at a point between the cuts made in the insulation. The cutting blade 172 has a pair of holes 173-173 formed therein to receive the wires advanced through the cutting and stripping mechanism 160.

The frame 161 is provided with three rectangular openings 174, 176 and 178 which receive the insulation cutting blades 167 and 169, the cutting blade 172, and the insulation cutting blades 168 and 171, respectively. As shown in FIG. 11, the cutters 164 and 166 and the frame 161 fit together to form a cylindrical structure. The frame 161 has a pair of openings 179-179 formed therein (FIG. 5) for receiving a pair of springs 181-181 which engage the cutters 164 and 166 and bias them away from the wires received by the frame 161. Since the cutters 164 and 166 are normally biased away from the wires, the wires are free to move through the cutting and stripping mechanism 160.

A housing is provided for the cutting and stripping mechanism 160 which consists of housing sections 182 and 183. The housing sections 182 and 183 fit together to form a hollow rectangular enclosure about the frame 161 and the cutters 164 and 166. The housing sections 182 and 183 are provided with cylindrical bearing surfaces 184-184 which support the guide cylinders 162 and 163 for rotation about their common axis.

A pair of ring-like actuator members 186 and 187 are fitted over the frame 161 and the cutters 164 and 166. The actuator member 186 is mounted for pivotal movement by a pair of pivot pins 186'-186' which are received in openings formed in the housing sections 182 and 183. Similarly, the actuator member 187 is also mounted 'for pivotal movement by pivot pins 187-187'. The actuator member 186 has a projection 188 formed thereon which extends toward the actuator member 187. The actuator member 187 also has a projection 189 formed thereon which extends toward the actuator member 186. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 11, the edges of the projections 188 and 189 are beveled to form a Wedgeshaped space therebetween.

The actuator members 186 and 187 are operated by a piston rod 191 (FIG. 8) extending from an air cylinder 192 supported by the housing section 183. As shown in FIGS 8 and 11, the end of the piston rod 191 is beveled to form a wedge-like point which can be moved into the space between the projections 188 and 189. When the cylinder 192 is operated to move the piston rod 191 to its extended position, the wedge-like point of the piston rod 191 moves between the projections 188 and 189 and forces the projections apart thus resulting in pivotal movement of the actuator rings 186 and 187. The actu ator rings 186 and 187 pivot into engagement with the cutters 164 and 166 to move the cutters against the springs 179 and 181 to cut the wires and the insulation. A set of coil springs 195-195 are positioned between the actuator rings 186 and 187 to urge the rings 186 and 187 back to their initial unpivoted positions when the pressure applied to air cylinder 192 is released.

The housing sections 182 and 183 are provided with dovetail grooves -185 formed along the sides thereof which are received in the groove formed in the guide plate 70 to support the cutting and stripping mechanism 160 for sliding movement. An air cylinder 193 having a piston rod 194 extending therefrom is attached to the plate 70. The piston rod 194 is connected to a bracket 196 mounted on the housing section 183. The air cylinder 193 may be operated when it is desired to move the cutting and stripping mechanism 160 relative to the wire clamping mechanisms 80 and 90.

Referring again to FIG. 5, a second telescoping mechanism 190 is provided between the wire clamping mechanism 90 and the Wire cutting and stripping mechanism 160. The construction of this wire clamping mechanism 190 is identical to the construction of the telescoping mechanism 110 which is described above. The telescoping mechanism 190 includes a set of three cylindrical sleeves 197, 198 and 199. The sleeve 198 is mounted for sliding movement over the sleeve 197 and the sleeve 199 is mounted for sliding movement over the sleeve 198. As discussed in connection with the telescoping mechanism 110, a set of keyways formed in the sleeve surfaces and pins mounted on the sleeves and received by the keyways are provided to allow the sleeves to slide relative to one another without relative rotational movement.

The sleeve 199 supports a pair of guide tubes 201 and 222 which are received in a second pair of guide tubes 203 and 204 secured to a cap 200 located within the sleeve 198. The wires which are advanced through the guide member 111 are received by the first pair of guide tubes 201, 202 and the second pair of guide tubes 203 and 204 are directed to the guide cylinder 163. Since the sleeves 1'97, 198 and 199 are not permitted to rotate relative to one another, the alignment of the wires in the guide member 111 is preserved in directing the wires to the guide cylinder 163. The functions of the telescoping mechanism 190 are l) to permit relative movement between the wire clamping mechanism 90 and the wire cutting and stripping mechanism 160 and (2) to transmit rotary motion from the guide cylinder 163 to the guide member 111.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 11, an air motor 201 is provided for rotating the wire feed mechanism 60 to impart a twist to the wires as they are drawn from the supply by movement of the wire wrapping head 25. The air motor 201 has a drive shaft 202 on which is mounted a drive gear 203. The drive gear 203 meshes with an idler gear 204 which, in turn, meshes with a gear 206 mounted on the guide cylinder 163. The motor 201 is operated during the advancement of the wire wrapping head 25 from its initial position to a position over a first set of terminals to twist the wires together during the routing thereof over the terminal board 22. As explained above, the guide cylinders 162 and 163 of the cutting and stripping mechanism 160 and the cylindrical guide members '81 and 111 of the wire clamping mechanism 80 and 90, respectively, are rotated simultaneously when the motor 201 is operated because the telescoping mechanism 110 and 190 preclude any relative rotational movement between the guide members '81 and 111 and the guide cylinders 162 and 163. Furthermore, the supply spools 61 and 62 are also rotated at the same time because the bracket 63 is coupled to the cylindrical guide member 81. Thus, by rotating both the supply of wires and the guide cylinders of the wire feeding mechanism 60, a twist can be imparted to the wires after they emerge from the guide cylinder 162 and are received by the wire wrapping head 25.

ROTATION CONTROL ARRANGEMENT The rotating apparatus shown in FIG. 11 is provided with an arrangement for allowing the wire feeding mechanism to "be rotated by exactly 180 after termination of the rotation during routing of the wires over the terminal board 22. This 180 rotation permits the positions of the wires emerging from the guide cylinder 162 relative to the wrapping bits 28 and 29 to be reversed, rendering it possible to select which one of the two wires will be supplied to a particular one of the wire wrapping bits 28 and 29.

The arrangement for accomplishing this result is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. It includes a cam 211 mounted on the drive shaft 202 which normally prevents rotation of the shaft 202 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 12. A pawl 212, pivotally mounted by a pivot pin 212' above the shaft 202, has a first leg 213 and a second leg 215. The first leg 213 is urged into engage- ;n1e4nt with a fiat surface 211' of the cam 211 by a spring Rotational motion is imparted to the wire feeding mechanism 60 and the wire supply spools 61 and 62 by rotating the drive shaft 202 in a clockwise direction. When the shaft 202 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the curved surface of the cam 211 moves past both the second leg 215 and the first leg 213 of the pawl 212 without encountering any obstruction to its motion. The motor 201 is controlled such that the shaft 202 is rotated an integral number of times; and when the rotation of the shaft 202 is terminated, the cam 211 is brought to a stop in the position shown in FIG. 12, i.e., with its fiat surface 211' engaging the arm 213 of the pawl 212.

If, after clockwise rotation of the shaft 202 is completed, it is desired to turn the shaft 202 by to rotate the wire feeding mechanism 60 by the same amount, an air cylinder 216 having a piston rod 217 attached to a piston 21 8 may be operated. Upon the operation of the air cylinder 216, the piston rod 217 moves outward therefrom and pivots the pawl 212 about pin 212' to move the second leg 215 of the pawl 212 toward the drive shaft 202. At the same time, the first leg 213 is moved out of engagement with the flat surface 211' of the cam 211 against the bias of the spring 214. The motor 201 can then be operated to rotate the shaft 202 in a counterclockwise direction; but the distance through which the shaft 202 is allowed to rotate is limited by the second leg 215 of the pawl 212. The pawl 215 is provided with a fiat ledge 219 which engages the flat surface 211' of the cam 211 during the counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 202 after it has moved by 180. This 180 reverse movement of the shaft 202 has the effect of rotating the wire feeding mechanism 60, including the guide cylinder 162 from which the pair of wires emerges, by 180 so that the positions of the wires beneath the wire wrapping bits 28 and 29 are reversed. Thus, it is evident that the wire pair may be selectively positioned beneath the wire wrapping bits 28 and 29 'by either operating or not operating the motor 201 to rotate the shaft 202 in a counterclockwise direction after the routing of the wires over the terminal board 202 has been accomplished and the initial rotation of the wiring mechanism 60 has been terminated".

WIRE WRAPPING BITS Referring to FIG. 13, the wire wrapping bit 27, which forms part of the wire wrapping head 25, and the wire wrapping bit 29 which forms part of the wire wrapping head 30 are shown in detail. The wire wrapping bit 27 is similar to that disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 665,109, entitled Wire Wrapping Tool and filed by William D. Bohannon, Jr., now U.S. Pat. 3,516,140 issued June 23, 1970. The wire wrapping bit 29 is similar to that disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 687,- 190, entitled A Sleeve Loading Wire Wrapping Tool and filed by W. D. Bellamy, W. ]D. Bohannon, Jr., and J. O. Etchison, Jr., now U.S. Pat. 3,457,616, issued July 29, 1969.

The wrapping bit 27 has a sleeve 221 which is mounted for sliding movement over a hollow spindle 222. A shaft 223 is fitted within the hollow spindle 222 and is capable of sliding movement relative to the sleeve 221 and the spindle 222. The shaft 223 is provided with a pin 224 which is received in longitudinal slots formed at the upper ends of the sleeve 221 and the spindle 222. The pin and slot arrangement permits the sleeve 221, spindle 1 1 222, and shaft 223 to slide relative to one another but prevents any rotation of the sleeve 221, spindle 222, and shaft 223 relative to one another.

The spindle 222 has a slot or opening 226 formed therein for receiving the stripped, leading end of a wire extending from the wire supply. The wire wrapping bit 27 is also provided with a sleeve-like element 227 which is fitted over the lower end of the shaft 223. The sleeve-like element 227 also has an elongated slot formed therein for receiving the leading end of the wire. When the shaft 223 is moved to a lowered position (FIG. 14) the wire is gripped between the lower end of the shaft 223 and the bottom surface of the elongated slot formed in the sleeve-like element 227. Thus, when the wire wrapping head 25 is moved away from the wire supply, the wire wrapping bit 27 grips the leading end of the wire and draws the wire from the supply.

The sleeve 221 has a longitudinal groove 229 formed along the inner surface of the sleeve which cooperates with a corresponding groove 231 formed at the lower end of the spindle 222 such that when the sleeve 221 is lowered (FIG. 15), the wire is captured in a longitudinal passageway formed by the grooves 229 and 231. The sleeve 221 has a slot 232 formed in its side opposite to the groove 229 to receive the leading end of the wire as the sleeve 221 is lowered over the spindle 222.

The hollow spindle 222 has an axial bore 234 which extends for its entire length. The shaft 223 is received in the bore 234. A cylindrical element 236 is also received in the bore 234 at the lower end of the spindle 222. The cylindrical element 236 is provided with a pair of projections 237237 extending from opposite sides thereof. As shown in FIG. 16, the cylindrical element 236 and the projections 237-237 prevent the stripped leading end of the wire from contacting the terminal 23 when the wire wrapping bit 27 is lowered over that terminal.

The wire wrapping head 25 is provided with a motor 239 having a drive shaft 241 which is connected to the spindle 222 by a set of gears 242 and 243. The motor 239 is also connected to the spindle of the wrapping bit 26 by another set of gears (not shown). Since the spindle 222 is coupled to the sleeve 221 and the shaft 223 by the pin 224, and the elongated slots formed in the spindle 222 and the sleeve 221, any rotation imparted to the spindle 222 by the motor 239 is also transmitted to the sleeve 221 and the shaft 223.

A first air cylinder 244 having a piston rod 245 extending therefrom is connected to the shaft 223 by an arm 246. The air cylinder 244 is used to impart sliding movement to the shaft 223 relative to the sleeve 221 and the I spindle 222. A second air cylinder 247 having a piston rod 248 extending therefrom, which is connected to the sleeve 221 by a bracket 249, is used to impart sliding movement to the sleeve 221 relative to the spindle 222 and the shaft 223.

The wire wrapping bit 29 which receives the trailing end of the wire is also shown in FIG. 13. The wire wrapping bit 29 includes a sleeve 251 which is slidably mounted over a spindle 252. A pin 253 extending from the spindle 252 is received in an elongated slot 254 formed in the sleeve 251. The pin 253 in the slot 254 permits sliding movement of the sleeve 251 relative to the spindle 252 but prevents any relative rotation between the sleeve 251 and the spindle 252. The spindle 252 is provided with a bore 255 (FIG. 15) extending upward from its lower end for receiving a terminal to which the trailing end of the wire is to be wrapped.

The sleeve 251 is provided with an opening 256 formed at its lower end for receiving the trailing end of the wire advanced by the wrapping bit 27. The portion of the sleeve 251 opposite to the opening 256 is cut away to form a slot 257. A notch 258 is formed in the sleeve 25] and extends between the opening 256 and the slot 257. The notch 258 allows the wire to be inserted into the opening 256 by moving the wire laterally through the 12 notch 258 into the opening 256. A feed finger (not shown) is provided for locating the wire within the notch 258 so that it may be received by the wrapping bit 29.

The wire wrapping bit 29 is provided with a motor 259 (FIG. 13) having a drive shaft 261 which is connected to the sleeve 251 of the wrapping bit 29 by a set of gears 262 and 263 and to the sleeve of the wrapping bit 28 by another set of gears (not shown). The motor 259 is used to impart rotational motion to the wire wrapping bits 28 and 29. Since the sleeve 251 and spindle 252 are coupled together for rotational movement by the pin 253 and elongated slot 254, any rotational movement imparted to the sleeve 251 by the motor 259 is also transmitted to the spindle 252. An air cylinder 264 having a piston rod 265 which is connected to the spindle 252 by an arm 266, is used to impart sliding movement to the spindle 252 relative to the sleeve 251.

It should be noted that the wire wrapping bit 26 (FIG. 1) is identical to the wire wrapping bit 27 shown in FIG. 13. The wire wrapping bit 28 (FIG. I) is a mirror image of the wrapping bit 29 shown in FIG. 13 so that the pair of wires may be advanced through the space between the wrapping bits 28 and 29 and may be received by the wrapping bits 28 and 29 by moving the wires outward toward the wrapping bits 28 and 29 by operation of associated feed fingers (not shown).

OPERATION In operation of the present invention, the wire wrapping apparatus shown in FIGS. 15, is prepared for a wire connecting operation by threading a pair of wires from the supply spools 61 and 62 through parallel paths in the wire feeding mechanism 60 which are defined by the wire clamping mechanisms and 90, the telescoping mechaisms and 190, and the wire cutting and stripping mechanism 160. Assuming that a wire connecting operation has just been completed, the stripped, leading ends of the pair of wires are located within the cutting and stripping mechanism 160. At this time, the wrapping head 25 is positioned adjacent to the wrapping head 30. The terminal board 22 is positioned upon the base 2.1 beneath the wrapping heads 25 and 30. A first pair of terminals 23 and 23 and a second pair of terminals 24 and 24' may be located at distances from the initial positions of the heads 25 and 30. At this point, the wire wrapping apparatus is prepared to initiate a terminal connecting operation.

In order to operate the apparatus, a conventional programming arrangement (not shown) may be provided to operate the air cylinders and motors of the apparatus in a desired sequence. In the operating sequence, air cylinder 103 (FIGS. 2 and 4) is first operated by the application of pressurized air to move the wedge-like end of the piston rod 104 into the wedge-shaped space between the projections 101 and 102 and pivot the actuator members 98 and 99 into engagement with the clamping members 89 and 91. In this manner, the actuator members 98 and 99 are operated to move the clamping members 89 and 91 inward toward the exposed portions of the passageways 82 and 83. The clamping members 89 and 91 are moved inward until the wires located in the exposed portions of the passageways 82 and 83 are engaged. At this point, the clamping members 89 and 91 urge the wires against the guide member 81 to hold the wires in the passageways 82 and 83 during the advancement thereof from the supply spools 61 and 62.

After the wires are clamped in the passageways 82 and 83, the air cylinder 106 is operated to draw the piston rod 107 into the air cylinder 106 (i.e., to the left as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 7) to move the entire clamping mechanism 80 away from the supply spools 61 and 62 by a predetermined distance. Since the wires are clamped in the passageways 82 and 83, this forward movement of the clamping mechanism 80 draws the wires from the supply spools 61 and 62 and advances the wires through the clamping mechanism 90 and the wire cutting and stripping mechanism 160 so that the leading ends of the wires are fed to the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27 of the head 25. As shown in FIG. 13, one wire is received in the slots formed in the spindle 222 and the sleeve-like element 227 of the wrapping bit 27. The other wire is similarly received by the corresponding elements of the bit 26 (not shown). It should be noted that telescoping mechanism 110 is compressed in order to allow the clamping mechanism 80 to move forward without disturbing the position of the wire clamping mechanism 90.

After the leading ends of the wires are fed to the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27 (FIG. 13), the wrapping bits are operated to grip the leading ends of the wires. In the case of the wrapping bit 27, the air cylinder 244 is activated to lower the shaft 223 until its lower end clamps the wire against the bottom surface of the slot formed in the sleeve-like member 227 (FIG. 14). The wrapping bit 26 (not shown) is similarly operated. Then, the air,cylinder 103 is operated to return the piston rod 104 into the air cylinder 103 thereby allowing the actuator members 98 and 99 to return to their original unpivoted positions. A set of springs similar to springs 195195 (FIG. 11), may be provided to urge actuator members 98 and 99 toward their initial positions. The clamping members 89 and 91 also return to their initial positions under the operation of the springs 9292. Thus, the wires are unclamped, and the air cylinder 106 is then operated to return piston rod 107 to its original position. The wire clamping mechanism 80 thus returns to its initial position without moving the wires. At this point, the leading ends of the wires are received and clamped by the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27, and the wire clamping mechanism 80 is in its initial position.

Next, the air cylinder 41 (FIG. 1) is operated to move the wire wrapping head 25 away from the wrapping head 30 to advance the wires, in a first or X direction, toward the first pair of terminals 23 and 23'. When the head 25 has advanced the Wires a sufficient distance in the X direction, away from the first pair of terminals 23 and 23', the air cylinder 41 is deenergized and the motion of the head 25 along its initial path of movement is terminated. At this point, if the Wire wrapping bits 26 and 27 are not located over the terminals 23 and 23, the air cylinder 44 may be operated to move the head 25 laterally across the terminal board 22, in a second or Y direction, until the bits 26 and 27 are positioned over the-terminals 23 and 23'. The motion of the wrapping head 25 is then terminated with the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27 and the leading ends of the wires located over the pair of terminals 23 and 23.

During the movement of the head 25 away from the head 30, the motor 201 (FIGS. and 8) is operated to impart rotational niotion to the wire feeding mechanism 60 and the wire supply spools 61 and 62. This rotational motionis terminated when the head reaches its final position over the first pair of terminals 23 and 23'. In this manner, the wires advanced from the wire feed mechanism and the wire supply are twisted together.

. Similarly, the wire wrapping head is moved from its initial position to .a position where the wrapping bits 28 and 29 are located over the second pair of terminals 24 and 24'. This movement is imparted to the head 30 by operating air cylinders 57 and 58. During movement of the head 30, the wires are further drawn from the supply spools 61 and 62. The motor 201 is operated to twist the wires together as they are drawn from the supply spools 61 and 62.

When movement of the wrapping head 30 is terminated, the air cylinder 192 (FIGS. 5 and 7) of the cutting and stripping mechanism 160 is operated to move the wedgeshaped end of the piston rod 191 between the projections 188 and 189 of the actuator members 186 and 187. This movement of the piston rod 191 results in pivoting movement of the actuator members 186 and 187. The actuator members pivot into engagement with the cutters 164 and 166 and move the cutters toward the wires passing through the frame 161. By movement of the cutters 164 and 166 toward each other, the wires are severed by the wire cutting blade 172. At the same time, cuts are made in the insulation covering the wires by the blades 167 and 169 and the blades 168 and 171.

While the air cylinder 192 remains operated, to maintain the blades 1'67 and 169 in their insulation cutting positions, the air cylinder 193 is operated to draw the piston rod 194 into the air cylinder 193 to move the stripping and cutting mechanism to the right, as viewed in FIG. 5. This movement of the stripping and cutting mechanism 160 results in the insulation being stripped from the trailing ends of the twisted wires which have been advanced across the terminal board 22. Upon continued movement of the stripping and cutting mechanism 160 to the right, the guide cylinder 162 moves a sufficient distance to expose the stripped trailing ends of the advanced wires to the Wire wrapping bits 28 and 29. As shown in FIG. 14, this movement of the guide cylinder 162 leaves the stripped trailing ends of the wires adjacent to the wire wrapping bits 28 and 29. Then the wire wrapping bits 28 and 29 are operated to receive the trailing ends of the twisted pair of wires. In the case of the wrapping bit 29, a feed finger (not shown) is used to insert the wire through the notch 258 into the opening 256 in the sleeve 251. Then the air cylinder 264 is operated to slide the spindle 252 downward through the sleeve 251 to capture the trailing end of the wire as shown in FIG. 15. The wrapping bit 28 is similarly operated to capture the other wire. At this point, the leading ends of the twisted pair of wires are located above the terminals 23 and 23' and the trailing ends are located over the terminals 24 and 24'.

Next, the air cylinders 47 and 59 are operated simultaneously by applying pressurized air thereto to move the heads 25 and 30 downward along the vertical guide rods 3232 and 52-52, respectively. The heads 25 and 30 are moved downward until the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27 are located over the first pair of terminals 23 and 23' and the wire wrapping bits 28 and 29 are located over the second pair of terminals 24 and 24' (FIG. 16). At this point, the wrapping bits 26, 27, 28 and 29' are rotated simultaneously by operating motors 239 and 259 to wrap the leading ends of the twisted pair of wires about the terminals 23 and 23' and the trailing ends of the wires about the terminals 24 and 24'. Thus, the terminal pairs are electrically interconnected by a twisted pair of insulated wires.

After the wire wrapping operation of the heads 25 and 30 is completed, the air cylinders 47 and 59 are then operated to return the heads 25 and 30 in their initial raised positions above the terminal board 22. At the same time, the air cylinders 244 and 24-7 of the wrapping bit 27 are operated to return the sleeve 221 and shaft 223 to their initial positions, and the air cylinder 264 is operated to raise the spindle 252 of the Wrapping bit 29 to its initial position. In like manner, the corresponding elements of the wrapping bits 26 and 28 are also returned to their initial positions. Then air cylinders 41, 44, 57 and 58 are operated to return the wrapping heads 25 and 30 to their initial positions adjacent to each other. With the heads 25 and 30 in their initial positions, the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27 are now ready to receive the new leading ends of the pair of wires.

Returning now to consideration of the operation of the wire feeding mechanism 60, after the wire wrapping operation is completed, the air cylinder 193 (FIG. 5) is operated to move the piston rod 1194 forward to return the cutting and stripping mechanism 160 to its initial position. The wires which are still gripped by the insulation cutting blades 168 and 171 are moved to the left as viewed in FIG. 5. The telescoping mechanism permits the wire cutting and stripping mechanism 160 to be moved relative to the wire cutting mechanism 90- without resulting in movement of the mechanism 90.

When the forward movement of the stripping and cutting mechanism 160 is terminated, the air cylinder 133 of the clamping mechanism 90 is then operated to pivot the actuator members 128 and 129 into engagement with the clamping members 119 and 121 which move into engagement with the wires and clamp the wires against the guide member 111. After the wires are clamped against the guide member 111 by the clamping members 119 and 121, the air cylinder 136 is operated to retract the piston rod 137 into the air cylinder 136 thereby moving the clamping mechanism 90 and the clamped wires backward toward the clamping mechanism 80 and the supply spools 61 and 62. At this time, the wire cutting and stripping mechanism 160 is held in a fixed position by the air cylinder 193 so that, upon backward movement of the wires toward the wire supply, the leading ends of the wires are stripped of insulation by the blades 168 and 171. The stripped ends of the wires thus become the new leading ends which are to be advanced to the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27.

After the ends of the wires have been stripped by the cutting blades 168 and 171, the air cylinder 192 is operated to withdraw the piston rod 191 to allow the cutters 164 and 166 to return to their initial positions under the action of springs 181181. Then the air cylinder 136 is operated to move the clamping mechanism 90 forward. The air cylinder 133 is then operated to retract its piston rod to allow the actuator members 128 and 129 to return to their initial unpivoted positions. A set of springs, similar to springs 195-195 (FIG. 11) is provided to urge the actuator members 128 and 129 toward their unpivoted positions. Upon return of the actuator members 128 and 129 to their initial positions, the clamping members 119 and 121 are moved outward from the guide member 111 by the springs 122122 to unclamp the wires located within the passageways 112 and 113.

At this point, another wrapping cycle may be initiated by operating the air cylinder 103 to pivot the actuator members 98 and 99 into engagement with the clamping members 89 and 91 to clamp the wires against the guide member 81. After the wires have been clamped, the air cylinder 106 is again operated to move the clamping mechanism 80 forward toward the clamping mechanism 90 and the cutting and stripping mechanism 160 to advance the wires by a predetermined distance until the stripped, leading ends of the wires are fed to the wire wrapping bits 26 and 27. Then the wire wrapping head 25 may be advanced away from the head 30 to initiate another twisting and wrapping operation. This subsequent operation of the wire wrapping heads 25 and 30 is identical to the previous operation which is described above.

From the above discussion of the apparatus of the present invention, it is evident that the apparatus may be operated in accordance with the principles of the present invention to connect groups of terminals by a twisted set of wires. Although the invention has been described in connection with the operation of the apparatus of this disclosure, it is evident that modifications in the construction of the apparatus may be made by persons having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for connecting a first group of terminals to a second group of terminals by a twisted set of wires, which comprises:

first wire connecting means for receiving leading ends of a set of wires and connecting said leading ends to the first group of terminals;

second wire connecting means for receiving trailing ends of the set of wires and connecting said trailing ends to the second group of terminals;

means for advancing said first and second wire connecting means to positions adjacent to the first and second terminal groups, respectively, to route the wires in a path between the terminal groups; and

means for imparting a twist to the wires during the routing thereof between the terminal groups.

2. An aparatus for connecting a first group of terminals to a second group of terminals by a twisted set of wires, which comprises:

a first group of wire connecting tools for receiving the leading ends of a set of wires and connecting said leading ends to the first group of terminals;

a second group of wire connecting tools for receiving trailing ends of the set of wires and connecting said trailing ends to the second group of terminals;

means for advancing said first and second groups of wire connecting tools to positions adjacent to the first and second terminal groups, respectively, to route the wires in a path between the terminal groups; and

means for imparting a twist to the wires during the routing thereof between the terminal groups.

3. An apparatus for connecting a first group of terminals to a second group of terminals by a twisted set of wires, as set forth in claim 2, which includes:

a wire supply having a set of wires extending therefrom, said wire supply mounted for rotation;

means for advancing the wires from said wire supply to feed leading ends thereof to the first group of wire connecting tools; and

means operated upon movement of said first and second groups of wire connecting tools into positions adjacent to the first and second terminal groups, respectively, for severing the wires at points adjacent to the second group of wire connecting tools; and wherein:

said means for imparting a twist to the wires includes means for rotating said Wire supply and said wire advancing means durin the movement of said first and second wire connecting tools.

4. An apparatus for electrically connecting a first pair of terminals to a second pair of terminals, spaced from the first terminal pair, by a twisted pair of insulated wires, which comprises:

a first pair of wire connecting tools for receiving leading ends of a pair of insulated wires and connecting said leading ends to the first pair of terminals;

a second pair of wire connecting tools for receiving trailing ends of the pair of insulated wires and connecting said trailing ends to the second pair of terminals;

means for advancing said first and second pairs of wire connecting tools to positions adjacent to the first and second terminal pairs, respectively, to route the wires in a path between the terminal pairs;

means for imparting a twist to the pair of wires during the routing thereof between the terminal groups; and

cutting and stripping means rendered operative upon movement of said first and second pairs of wire connecting tools into positions adjacent to the first and second terminal pairs, respectively, for severing the wires at points adjacent to the second pair of wire connecting tools and for stripping insulation from the trailing ends of the routed pair of wires and from the leading ends of the wires severed therefrom.

5. An apparatus for electrically connecting a first pair of terminals to a second pair of terminals, spaced from the first terminal pair, by a twisted pair of insulated wires, as set forth in claim 4, which includes:

a wire supply having a pair of insulated wires extending therefrom, said wire supply mounted for rotation; and

means for advancing the pair of wires from said wire supply to feed the stripped, leading ends thereof from said cutting and stripping means to the first pair of wire connecting tools; and wherein:

said means for imparting a twist to the pair of wires includes means for rotating said wire 17 supply, said Wire advancing means and said cutting and stripping means during movement of said first and second pairs of wire connecting tools. 6. In an apparatus for electrically connecting first and second pairs of terminals, which are spaced apart on a terminal board,by a twisted pair of insulated wires:

a first wire wrapping head having a pair of wire wrapping bits for receiving leading ends of a pair of insulated wires and wrapping said leading ends about the first pair of terminals;

a second wire Wrapping head having a pair of Wire wrapping bits for receiving trailing ends of a pair of insulated wires and wrapping said trailing ends about the second pair of terminals;

means for mounting said first and second wire wrapping heads for relative movement above the terminal board;

a wire supply having a pair of insulated wires extending therefrom, said wire supply mounted to move with said second wire wrapping head and to rotate relative thereto; v

a cutting and stripping mechanism for severing the wire and stripping insulation therefrom, said cutting and stripping mechanism also mounted to move with and to rotate relative to said second wire wrapping head;

a'wire feeding mechanism for receiving the wires and advancing the wires from said wire supply through said cutting and stripping mechanism to said first wire wrapping head, said feeding mechanism mounted to move with and to rotate relative to said second wire wrapping head;

means for advancing said first and second wire wrapping heads to positions over the first and second terminal pairs, respectively, to route the wires in a path over the terminal board;

means rendered operative during the advancement of said first and second wire wrapping heads for rotating said wire supply, said cutting and stripping mechanism, and said wire feeding mechanism to impart a twist to the advanced wires; and

means rendered effective upon movement of said first and second wire Wrapping heads to positions over the first and second terminal pairs, respectively, for operating said cutting and stripping mechanism to sever the wires at points adjacent to the second Wire wrapping head and to strip insulation from the trailing ends of the advanced wires and from the leading ends of the wires severed therefrom.

'7. In an apparatus for connecting a plurality of insulated wires to a group of terminals:

a plurality of wire connecting tools for receiving leading ends of the wires and for connecting said leading ends to terminals in the group;

a wire feeding mechanism for advancing said leading ends of the wires to said wire connecting tools, said wire feeding mechanism mounted for rotation relative to said wire connecting tools;

a cutting and stripping mechanism for removing insulation from said leading ends of the wires, said cutting and stripping mechanism mounted for rotation relative to said wire connecting tools;

means for advancing said wire connecting tools to a position adjacent to the group of terminals to exten the wires to the terminals; and

means for rotating said wire feeding mechanism and said cutting and stripping mechanism during advancement of said wire connecting tools to impart a twist to the wires.

8. In an apparatus for electrically connecting a pair of insulated wires to a pair of terminals located on a terminal board:

a wire wrapping head having a. pair of wire wrapping bits for receiving leading ends of a pair of insulated wires and wrapping said leading ends about the pair of terminals;

means for mounting said Wire wrapping head to move over the terminal board;

a wire supply having a pair of insulated wires extending therefrom, said wire supply mounted for rotation relative to said wire wrapping head;

a wire feeding mechanism for advancing the pair of wires from said Wire supply to feed the leading ends thereof to said wire wrapping bits, said feeding mechanism mounted for rotation relative to said wire wrapping head;

a cutting and stripping mechanism for removing insulation from the leading ends of the pair of Wires, said cutting and stripping mechanism mounted for rotation relative to said wire wrapping head;

means for advancing said wire wrapping head to a position adjacent to the pair of terminals to extend the Wires in a path from said Wire supply to the terminals; and

means for rotating said Wire supply, said feeding mechanism, and said cutting and stripping mechanism during advancement of said Wire Wrapping head to impart a twist to the extended wires.

9. In an apparatus for electrically connecting first and second pairs of terminals, which are spaced apart on a terminal board, by a twisted pair of insulated Wires, as set forth in claim 6:

means rendered effective after rotation of said wire supply, said cutting and stripping mechanism and said Wire feeding mechanism is terminated for rotating said wire supply, cutting and stripping mechanism and Wire feeding mechanism by to reverse the positions of the wires relative to the wrapping bits of said second wire wrapping head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,551,358 5/1951 Andren 29--33 2,634,974 4/1953 Chuy 226162 2,840,381 6/1958 Mersek 2791 2,886,995 5/1959 Bach et a1 81-9.5 3,122,826 3/1964 Self 29-203 3,246,381 4/1966 Etchison, Jlr., et al 2933 THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

